silversnowfall | 74. [voice/written]

[Some say too much deep thought begets deeper problems.]

I've been thinking.

[Nephry has a piece of paper in front of her, as well as a book open to a marked page.]

Mm, I should say that reading has been making me think. Indulge me for a moment, if you will: there is a relatively small portion of our population living in this village that arrived more than three Luceti years ago. It's an easy number for me to choose, because I fall into that category as well. I don't know many of those sharing a 'cycle year' with me as personally as I might, but-

[Here she stops, taps the page of the other book, and tries a new direction. Included in her explanation is a description of the formula she mentions.]

Something I read about and didn't understand prompted a bit more research on my part. I'm interested in testing whether this...theory, I suppose, of mine happens to prove true. In another world, there is a kind of formula for determining how ready one is to accept the inevitable. I believe that, with some exceptions of course, one 'step' in this formula enacts itself in the space of one Luceti cycle year. [Then she illustrates what the heck she means by that, expanding upon a chart she found in her research.]

[A half-laugh. Actually it's quite a sad sound.] Doesn't that sound strange? And yet I remember being in complete disbelief that such things were possible, and then worrying about my friends and hating the Malnosso for what they do to us, and then wanting nothing more than to use our limited knowledge as some kind of wager for the chance to change-

And now...to a degree, I still feel all of these other things, and yet- [No. Perhaps it's best not to go into that so publicly. It's unbecoming of a governor for certain.] Well, now I'm asking the rest of you. No matter how long you have been here. Does this hold true for you?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hell no.

First you have to realize in the part of the world I'm from at home, we're in an even worse constant state of war right now. Secondly, crazier things than some of the shifts happen. And thirdly, this place is a gift for me.

I was only mad because Blackbeard was here and killing him wouldn't mean anything.

[Such crass language.]

Then you also feel no anger at the thought of anyone you know and care for being subjected to what a life here might entail? Instead, all you worry about is your inability to take someone else's life?

[She deliberately moderates her voice for this one. Nephry has no inherent love for those who are so cavalier about killing.]

[Pirate.]

[And his tone is quiet for a very long time until...]

No. I'm grateful Ace is here. I wish my other brothers were here as well. They would like it. I don't expect you to understand that.

[What it was like to be separated eternally from the people most important to you, unable to continue adventures or just be together thanks to someone's betrayal. What a gift it was to have a chance to be with them again. No, Marco didn't expect anyone to understand that.]

[The worst part is, she would understand, at least in some ways. She hadn't set this up as some kind of challenge to the way people here thought, but it appeared to be turning into one.]

You're willing to take that opportunity at the expense of other freedoms.

Absolutely.

I'm a pirate, not a hero. I'd let the world burn around me if it wouldn't affect my family and those I love.

[Views like that won't get him far with the rest of the village. He may not care.]

How long have you been here?

[Indeed. He really doesn't care. He kind of welcomes it, since then he knows who he doesn't want to deal with.]

A year and a half. How about you?

More than three.

[Marco fits her theory quite well, she thinks.]

So quite some time. Would you say you've moved well into the acceptance stage then?

I don't think I'm quite there yet.

I have my own theory, if you'd like to hear it.

First, may I ask you about how things were back in your world?

We live in tentative and relative peace now, compared to a few years ago.

Oh? What happened a few years ago?

We narrowly averted a planetwide war. Now, I believe it's your turn. What's your theory?

There are four factors that make this place easier on people to be here without missing their home so much.

First is death of family or friends. If someone they loved is here, but dead in their time, it's hard not to view this as bonus time, eh?

Secondly is war. If their home area was in a turbulent part of history, such as mine, then being here with interruptions in between the drafts makes it a lot easier to call this place gentler than back home.

Third is just interpersonal relationships. I have friends, hell I've adopted from people from other worlds, and I know others who've done the same. We wouldn't have met them back in our worlds and times so that is yet another opportunity only provided here, eh?

And fourth is resources. Much like the war thing, if someone comes from a world starved for resources, simply not starving day to day makes this place a step closer to paradise.

[That sounds less like a theory and more like a careful examination of what makes Luceti work.]

Do you think these things outweigh the difficult ones?

[Oops. He gets bored and frequently has to explain why he likes being here.]

They can. In my case, yes, and for a few others. Probably not for everyone.

Then it sounds like nothing is going to quite fit everyone. [That's to be expected, even among a population as small as Luceti's.]

Nothing fits everyone, we have people here who don't even need to eat, eh?

74. [voice/written]

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